THE ROYAL CITY
A reminder of the past, the Royal City occupies a large part of Old Muscat, the city's oldest historic district along with Mutrah. It was from this original small fishing port that Muscat developed into the prosperous city it is today. The fortifications and defensive buildings, restored in 1979 at the request of Sultan Qaboos, date back to the 16th century, when the Portuguese first settled in Muscat. Three gates (Bab al-Kabir, Bab al-Saghir and Bab al-Mathaib) punctuate the city, delimiting its oldest section. You'll quickly fall under the spell of this small district, which looks like a well-kept village in the heart of the capital: renovated houses, flower-filled sidewalks, immaculate streets... an Eden on the Arabian Sea! It's easy to see why a few ministries still remain, such as the Finance Ministry with its golden door. With all the sights contained within a relatively small area, the city is best explored on foot, and why not a second time in the evening, when the skilful illumination of the buildings and mountains lends itself particularly well to a peaceful, aesthetic stroll. On site, three monuments are not to be missed: the two forts Al-Mirani and Al-Jalali, and the Qasr al-Alam, one of the residences of His Majesty the late Sultan Qaboos, now owned by the new Sultan Haïtham ben Tariq. The latter palace, which is quite astonishing in its busy style, is preceded by a huge esplanade framed by long arcaded buildings. It is not open to the public, but its flamboyant exterior architecture allows visitors to imagine the sumptuousness of its interior spaces and decor. Tall gold and blue columns reach for the sky, surrounded by superb beds of orange and violet bougainvillea, and armfuls of roses, one variety of which bears the name of the former sultan. The three monuments stand on the seafront, between ochre-coloured rocks. To get there, you have to pass through one of the gates (ideally Baba al-Mathaib, the nearest one) and walk to the water's edge, to the corniche where you'll find: on the left, the port; on the right, Fort Al-Mirani and the palace; and, opposite and further to the right, Fort Al-Jalali. Proudly standing on its rocky escarpment, the latter citadel is not open to visitors. The Mirani citadel, on the other hand, has been superbly renovated and is now open to the general public. From the cornice, you can see the names of the ships that passed through Muscat and left their mark on the cliff bordering the port. The oldest inscription dates back to 1876.
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